Barclays customers are being urged to stay vigilant following a surge in sophisticated phishing text messages targeting account holders. Victims are receiving urgent, highly realistic texts that closely mimic official bank alerts about unauthorised payments leaving their accounts.
A common variation reads: "Barclays Alert: A Direct Debit of £489.99 to TUI has been set up on your account." The message goes on to provide a contact number to 'cancel this payment'.
How the scam works
Cybersecurity experts, including Which?, warn that the scam relies heavily on panic. The messages include a fraudulent phone number and instruct the recipient to call immediately if they did not authorise the transaction.
Once a victim calls the number, they are connected to fraudsters posing as helpful bank staff. The criminals then attempt to trick the victim into revealing sensitive information, such as online banking passwords, card details, or One-Time Passcodes (OTP). Armed with these details, the scammers can completely drain the victim's bank account.
Official warnings
The Norfolk County Council Trading Standards warns: "Criminals are experts at creating spoof messages that then provide links to scammers who will attempt to trick you into providing personal or financial information as part of urgent action they will claim you need to take without closer inspection."
Barclays says genuine fraud alerts from the bank will never ask customers to call a random number or reveal secure security details. Real alerts typically only require a simple 'Y' or 'N' text response to verify a transaction.
What to do if you receive a suspicious text
If you receive a suspicious text, financial authorities advise taking the following steps:
- Do not call the number or click any links in the text.
- Verify your account independently by logging into the official Barclays Mobile App or calling the number on the back of your debit card.
- Forward the scam text to 7726, the UK’s free network reporting service.
- Report directly to Barclays by forwarding a screenshot or the message details to its official phishing email address: InternetSecurity@barclays.com.
You can also report text messages you believe are scams via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on freephone 0808 223 1133.
